History Department

Learning to think, research, and write about history is useful in a number of careers. Unlike some fields of study, history does not limit students to one job or technology. Foreign service officers, business executives, journalists, lawyers, librarians, archivists, and museum curators have majored in history as undergraduates. History also makes an exciting teaching career. In our society of dramatic change, most people change careers numerous times during their lifetime. Historical imagination and research skills provide students with a variety of options as jobs and technology change.

The problem-solving skills developed from close readings of texts and documents are valuable for any career. The ability to define, research, and interpret a subject are skills needed in education, business, and government. Students learn to weigh the choices of their own profession through historical speculation of "what might have been." Those who learn to understand the clockwork of the past, can use this knowledge in planning for the future.